Education in Singapore focuses on streaming students into different tracks starting in primary school. The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is used to sort students into streams like Special, Express, Normal Academic or Normal Technical based on their exam results. This early streaming has received criticism for being too rigid and focusing only on academics, though supporters argue it trains students according to their abilities. Recent reforms aim to increase creativity, allow more flexibility between streams, and refine the streaming system.
Education in China is a state-run system of public education run by the Ministry of Education. All citizens must attend school for at least nine years, known as the nine-year compulsory education, which the government funds. It includes six years of primary education, starting at age six or seven, and three years of junior secondary education (middle school) for ages 12 to 15. Some provinces may have five years of primary school but four years for middle school. After middle school, there are three years of high school, which then completes the secondary education. The Ministry of Education reported a 99 percent attendance rate for primary school and an 80 percent rate for both primary and middle schools.[citation needed] In 1985, the government abolished tax-funded higher education, requiring university applicants to compete for scholarships based on academic ability. In the early 1980s the government allowed the establishment of the first private school, increasing the number of undergraduates and people who hold doctoral degrees fivefold from 1995 to 2005.[4] In 2003 China supported 1,552 institutions of higher learning (colleges and universities) and their 725,000 professors and 11 million students (see List of universities in China). There are over 100 National Key Universities, including Peking University and Tsinghua University. Chinese spending has grown by 20% per year since 1999, now reaching over $100bn, and as many as 1.5 million science and engineering students graduated from Chinese universities in 2006. China published 184,080 papers as of 2008.[5] China has also become a top destination for international students.[6] As of 2013, China is the most popular country in Asia for international students, and ranks third overall among countries.[6]
Laws regulating the system of education include the Regulation on Academic Degrees, the Compulsory Education Law, the Teachers Law, the Education Law, the Law on Vocational Education, and the Law on Higher Education. See also: Law of the People's Republic of China.
Although Shanghai and Hong Kong are among the top performers in the Programme for International Student Assessment, China's educational system has been criticized for its rigorousness, as well as its emphasis on rote memorization and test preparation.
My 15 minute presentation for a panel talk at GETS 2010, "Building a World-Class Education System". The actual panel discussion that followed is not included. I discuss Finland's PISA success and the reasons behind it, as well as some future focus areas.
Contents
1. Cambridge progression page 3
2. IGCSE page 3
a. Grading, course load and awarding
b. Recognition and equivalence
c. Overview
d. Building a curriculum
e. Assessment
3. Cambridge International AS & A page 7
a. Overview
b. Cambridge International AS & A
c. Flexibility
d. Assessment option
e. International relevance
f. Assessment
g. Reporting of achievement
h. Performance feedback
4. IGCSE/AS/A@ ROOTS page 8
a. What is IGCSE
b. Where is IGCSSE acceptable and recognized
c. Who can take IGCSE
d. How IGCSE taught at ROOTS COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL RCI
e. Examination information
f. What is AS & A levels
g. Where are AS and A levels accepted and recognized
h. Who can take AS & A level
i. How are AS and A levels taught at RCI
j. Examination Info
5. Professional Development Qualification page 11
a. Cambridge international certificate for teachers and trainers
b. Cambridge international Diploma for teachers and trainers
c. Cambridge international Diploma in Teaching with ICT
d. ECIS international teacher certificate
e. Certification for teaching in bilingual education
6. Cambridge Students Website page 11
7. General Questions asked page 11
8. Register for Cambridge School Exams page 18
a. CIE guide to Making Entries Booklet
b. GCE/IGCSE Exams Guideline
Education in China is a state-run system of public education run by the Ministry of Education. All citizens must attend school for at least nine years, known as the nine-year compulsory education, which the government funds. It includes six years of primary education, starting at age six or seven, and three years of junior secondary education (middle school) for ages 12 to 15. Some provinces may have five years of primary school but four years for middle school. After middle school, there are three years of high school, which then completes the secondary education. The Ministry of Education reported a 99 percent attendance rate for primary school and an 80 percent rate for both primary and middle schools.[citation needed] In 1985, the government abolished tax-funded higher education, requiring university applicants to compete for scholarships based on academic ability. In the early 1980s the government allowed the establishment of the first private school, increasing the number of undergraduates and people who hold doctoral degrees fivefold from 1995 to 2005.[4] In 2003 China supported 1,552 institutions of higher learning (colleges and universities) and their 725,000 professors and 11 million students (see List of universities in China). There are over 100 National Key Universities, including Peking University and Tsinghua University. Chinese spending has grown by 20% per year since 1999, now reaching over $100bn, and as many as 1.5 million science and engineering students graduated from Chinese universities in 2006. China published 184,080 papers as of 2008.[5] China has also become a top destination for international students.[6] As of 2013, China is the most popular country in Asia for international students, and ranks third overall among countries.[6]
Laws regulating the system of education include the Regulation on Academic Degrees, the Compulsory Education Law, the Teachers Law, the Education Law, the Law on Vocational Education, and the Law on Higher Education. See also: Law of the People's Republic of China.
Although Shanghai and Hong Kong are among the top performers in the Programme for International Student Assessment, China's educational system has been criticized for its rigorousness, as well as its emphasis on rote memorization and test preparation.
My 15 minute presentation for a panel talk at GETS 2010, "Building a World-Class Education System". The actual panel discussion that followed is not included. I discuss Finland's PISA success and the reasons behind it, as well as some future focus areas.
Contents
1. Cambridge progression page 3
2. IGCSE page 3
a. Grading, course load and awarding
b. Recognition and equivalence
c. Overview
d. Building a curriculum
e. Assessment
3. Cambridge International AS & A page 7
a. Overview
b. Cambridge International AS & A
c. Flexibility
d. Assessment option
e. International relevance
f. Assessment
g. Reporting of achievement
h. Performance feedback
4. IGCSE/AS/A@ ROOTS page 8
a. What is IGCSE
b. Where is IGCSSE acceptable and recognized
c. Who can take IGCSE
d. How IGCSE taught at ROOTS COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL RCI
e. Examination information
f. What is AS & A levels
g. Where are AS and A levels accepted and recognized
h. Who can take AS & A level
i. How are AS and A levels taught at RCI
j. Examination Info
5. Professional Development Qualification page 11
a. Cambridge international certificate for teachers and trainers
b. Cambridge international Diploma for teachers and trainers
c. Cambridge international Diploma in Teaching with ICT
d. ECIS international teacher certificate
e. Certification for teaching in bilingual education
6. Cambridge Students Website page 11
7. General Questions asked page 11
8. Register for Cambridge School Exams page 18
a. CIE guide to Making Entries Booklet
b. GCE/IGCSE Exams Guideline
Singapore School, Kebon Jeruk
Affiliated to Singapore International School (Indonesia)
Jl Meruya Ilir No.89 Meruya Utara Kebon Jeruk Jakarta Barat 11620, Indonesia
Phone: (021) 5867570 / 49 Fax: (021) 5867573
Website: http://www.sis-kj.com
Email: contact@siskjonline.org
2. Outline Education in Singapore Streaming in Education Criticism Supporters Refinements
3. Pre-Primary Education Provide a Structured 3-Year Pre School education programs Consists of Nursery , Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2 These are privately operated
4. Primary Education It is a structured 6 years education Four year Foundation Stage Twoyear Orientation Stage In orientation stage , streamed into Higher , Standard and Foundation levels. Primary education is compulsory and free
5. Primary School Leaving Examination End of Primary 6 , PSLE is held The education is to check whether the student has passed Primary level The Exam is used to stream students into “Special", "Express", "Normal (Academic)", or "Normal (Technical)"
6. Special and Express Stream Four-year course leading up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘O‘( Ordinary) Level examination Special Stream students take ‘Higher Mother tongue ‘ Express students take ‘ Normal Mother tongue’
7. Normal (Technical and Academic) Normal(Academic) : Prepare to take O-Level Normal(Technical) : Take Subjects of a more Technical nature
8. Post-Secondary Sit for Singaporean GCE ‘O’ Level Result determines which Pre-University or Post Secondary
11. Supporters Students Trained according to their capabilities Such a small nation needs highly trained citizens Produced Top achievers Brought Down Drop out rates
12. Refinements Greater focus on Creative and Critical Thinking Ability for students to switch between streams
Editor's Notes
Hi,My name is AnirudhNarla and I would be applying for the Post of Producer in the MIT-Gambit Summer ProgramThe topic of discussion will be on the Education in Singapore focusing primarily on Streaming. Streaming, or the separation of students into different categories (‘streams’) is a prominent feature of the Singapore education system18
The outline for our presentation will be as followsI will present to you a very broad overview about the Education in SingaporeThen I will discuss the Streaming Process in the Singapore Education Criticism Supporters of the education systemThen the Refinements brought about by the govt27
We are now going to discuss the Singapore Education SystemIt starts of with Pre-Primary Education Kindergartens are ‘schools’ that provide a structured 3-year pre-school. The 3-year program consists of Nursery, Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2.They are privately operated , 22
Primary education, normally starting at age seven, is a four-year foundation stage (Primary 1 to 4) , The four years, from primary 1 to 4, provide a foundation of the subjects. In the two-year orientation stage (Primary 5 to 6) pupils are streamed into their subjects and their difficulty level at Higher /standard / foundation level. Higher obviously being of a higher level and Foundation having the basic level. Primary education is compulsory and free35
At the end of Primary 6, the national Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is held. The examination determines whether the student is ready to leave primary schoolThe exam streams students into Streams namely “Special” , “Express” “Normal (Academic)” , Normal(Technical)23
20
Normal is a four-year course leading up to a Normal-level (N-level) exam, with the possibility of a fifth year followed by an O-level. Normal is split into Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical).while in Normal (Academic) students are prepared to take the O-level exam In Normal (Technical), students take subjects of a more technical nature, such as Design and Technology, 35
Upon completion of the 4- or 5-year secondary school education, students will participate in the annual Singaporean GCE 'O' Level, the results of which determine which pre-universities or post-secondary institutions they may apply for.18
Critics of the education system, including some parents, state that the education system is too specialised, rigid, and elitist.Often, these criticisms state that there is little emphasis on creative thinking, unlike education systems in other societies, such as those in the westThere have been complaints about excessive educational streaming at a young age22
A popular local film, I Not Stupid, highlights the competitiveness of the system and the social stigma that students struggling with studies have to face. The best students are streamed into the best and normal classes, while the others are streamed into the foundation class, where teachers usually allow them to get worse, since they are part of the "ungifted" class.21
Supporters of the system assert that the provision of differentiated curricula according to streams has allowed students with different abilities and learning styles to develop and sustain an interest in their studies. The rationale behind streaming is to allow the system to cater best to the needs of each student according to his or her academic ability, preventing a scenario where the best students are bored by a standard curriculum, and the weakest students struggle to passThose defending the current education system point out that Singaporean students have regularly ranked top when competing in international science and mathematics competitions and assessments. This ability-driven education has since been a key feature behind Singapore's success in education, and was responsible for bringing drop-out rates down sharply.44
In response to such concerns the Ministry of Education has recently introduced a greater focus on creative and critical thinking, and on learning for life-long skills rather than simply learning to excel in examinationsIn recent years, while streaming still exists, various refinements to the policy have been made. There is now greater flexibility for students to cross over different streams or take subjects in other streams, which alleviates somewhat the stigma attached to being in any single stream. 30